The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)

Shortly after the closure of Ion Storm, I was fortunate to be hired by Bethesda Game Studios to join the development team of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I’d been a fan of the Elder Scrolls series since Arena in 1994, and as BGS’s first in-house sound engineer, I hit the ground running in the middle of a massive project greatly in need of extensive voiceover recording, sound design and music production.

Initial months were highly focused on voiceover recording, including all script preparation, casting actors and daily travels to and from a local recording studio to direct sessions. Between voiceover sessions, I would return to the game studio to tackle all manner of sound design work, including collaborating with composer Jeremy Soule to produce the game’s award-winning soundtrack.

Oblivion was a milestone for me not just in terms of sheer scale and learning to work with a larger team on a massive project, but also where I began to develop a sound design aesthetic. I discovered a passion for field recording, and given the rich landscapes the artists had created, I strove to incorporate as many sounds of the natural world as possible into the game’s landscape. I focused extensive attention on unseen and off-screen sound detail to create an immersive world for players — an approach I’ve brought to every project since, and that remains one of my favorite aspects of sound design work.